The Burning Legion's army slowly approached, with the Infernal Legion stretching as far as the eye could see, followed by the Legion's main force: the Doomguards and Terrorguard, all lined up in neat rows.
Archimonde himself led the army, surrounded by countless Eredar Mages. The World Tree Nordrassil, which he had longed for, was right before his eyes. This Eredar, as tall as a mountain, was so conspicuous in the Legion's army.
Behind the Burning Legion's main force was a vast, green Orcs army. Saurfang the Great, riding a war wolf, had a ferocious expression on his face, tinged with mockery, as if he were laughing at the Night Elves ' foolishness.
Thrall rode a huge Frostwolf Clan at the forefront, keeping a distance of one step from Saurfang to show that he was the leader of the Orcs, which aroused Saurfang's strong dissatisfaction.
Countless Fel Screecher spewed Fel Flames, scorching the Magic Shield protecting the fortress.
During the battle against the Scourge, the Fel Screecher were unable to be used due to the presence of the Scourge Gargoyles.
Although the Night Elf race possess superb archery skills, their outdated enchanting techniques limit the power of their arrows, making it difficult to penetrate the Fel Screecher's defenses.
Coupled with the Night Elf race's insufficient number of Hippogryphs, the Fel Screecher successfully gained air superiority.
Fandral Staghelm Fandral Staghelm led the Night Elf generals to the top of the fortress, gazing at the endless Burning Legion and the Orcs coalition, their faces filled with sorrow.
Mount Hyjal was once fortified with layers of defenses, countless primeval forests, and numerous Ancient of War, making it difficult for the Burning Legion to conquer, even if their army increased tenfold.
However, due to their foolish alliance with the Orcs and abandonment of their ally, the Firelord, the Burning Legion destroyed Mount Hyjal with little effort. The ancient tree, thousands of years old, turned to dust, leaving only the World Tree Nordrassil.
The Fel Screecher howled across the sky, and under the relentless attack, cracks quickly appeared in the shield.
"Ten minutes." Fandral Staghelm looked at the Night Elf generals and said painfully, "The Magic Shield has broken. In less than ten minutes, there won't be a single survivor in the fortress. Without the Ancient of War, we can't stop the Burning Legion."
Fandral Staghelm had not expected the Legion to arrive so quickly. It was too late to wait for Maiev to return. Once the fortress was captured and its gates were wide open, the fall of Nordrassil, the World Tree, was only a matter of time.
In desperation, Fandral Staghelm could only take out the banner that Valstann had given him from his bosom.
It was an ordinary flag with strange patterns. Fandral Staghelm didn't recognize the flag's origin, and he didn't believe a flag could do anything, but he was simply out of options.
When the banner was hoisted atop the fortress, Archimonde's towering figure abruptly halted, and then the Burning Legion's army stopped advancing.
The Fel Screecher, like dark clouds, received their command and retreated swiftly as if encountering Plague. Countless Infernal fell to the ground, turning into charred rocks.
Fandral Staghelm appeared confident, but inwardly he was bewildered and uneasy, wondering what was going on with this banner. The Dark Knights were all dumbfounded, their gazes towards Fandral Staghelm filled with admiration.
Of the Burning Legion soldiers present, only a very small number had participated in the War of the Ancients, including Archimonde's Adjutant Mannoroth, whose small eyes widened in astonishment.
"The banner of the Highborne, this is Queen Azshara's royal banner."
Archimonde remained silent. On the night of Mount Hyjal's destruction, countless Night Elves vanished in white light, and the Legion's Eredar Mages were helpless. Archimonde then suspected that Queen Azshara had intervened.
Thinking of this most outstanding student, he was filled with emotion.
"In any case, the Night Elves are still Azshara's people. Considering this ancient teacher-student bond, the Legion has temporarily halted its attack. Alas, if Azshara could have stayed with the Legion, the Legion would be in a completely different situation right now."
Archimonde looked regretful. He had to admit that the Night Elves were a superior race to the Eredar, but they were misled by the Elune, who had locked away their Night Elf race.
Mannoroth was somewhat puzzled. He knew Queen Azshara's power, but making concessions now would come at a great cost. In the world of magic, opportunities are fleeting, and anything could happen if there was even a moment's delay.
Thinking of this, Mannoroth whispered his advice, "Lord Archimonde, it's just a banner; Queen Azshara may not actually show herself. If we don't make a decision now, the consequences could be dire. I've heard that the Night Elf's Secret Mage Corps isn't at Mount Hyjal. If they come, it will be much harder to win."
Archimonde said confidently, "No problem, the Legion can withstand this risk. My other student will be here soon."
"Another student, the Guardian Medivh?" Mannoroth exclaimed.
Archimonde nodded. "This was a pre-arranged backup plan. Medivh will facilitate a second alliance between the Night Elves and Orcs. With Queen Azshara behind the scenes, we might suffer heavy losses if we take these fortresses. It's better to use the Orcs to divide them again, and with another great victory at Mount Hyjal, Nordrassil will be ours."
Mannoroth shook his massive head violently. "That's absolutely impossible! The Night Elf race have suffered such a huge loss, with countless members of their race devoured by the Orcs. How could they fall for it again? They're not stupid pigs."
Archimonde laughed heartily and said triumphantly:
"Mannoroth, you are too young. History teaches us that the only lesson losers learn is that they never learn from history. Lordaeron lost an entire generation of young men to the Orcs, a loss as devastating as Mount Hyjal is today. Have they learned even a single lesson? As long as the Night Elves continue to worship Elune, they will surely fall for it again."
The Pit Lord Mannoroth, having lived for tens of thousands of years, had seen it all and was naturally resentful, but dared not show it, remaining meek and silent.
Archimonde waved his hand and ordered, "Once Cenarius completes his Fel transformation, take him to the fortress to challenge the Night Elf race and force them to surrender. Medivh needs to gain the Night Elf race's trust."
The Burning Legion's army retreated some distance and set up camp.
Not long after, Maiev and her Watchers returned, bringing back a large amount of water from the lake at Mount Hyjal. Just as Fandral Staghelm had predicted, only a few drops of the magic-rich lake water were enough to revive the withered Ancient of War and make it even stronger.
This gave the Night Elf race hope, and they tried every means to collect the remains of the Ancient of War, finally managing to assemble Legion of about three thousand Ancient of War. Although defeating the Burning Legion was still a pipe dream, at least they had a chance to defend the fortress.
Things were moving in a positive direction. Malfurion and Tyrande felt ashamed to face anyone, so Fandral Staghelm took over military affairs.
As an enlightened leader, Fandral Staghelm did not reject magic and used his years of magical research to arm the Night Elf race, especially the waters of Mount Hyjal, which found many applications.
The magical lake water can heal the Night Elves ' wounds, increase the defense of their armor and the lethality of their weapons, forge various high-level magical equipment, and even enhance the Night Elves ' physique.
The generals of the Dark Night felt extremely ashamed; they had been faced with a treasure trove but had not known how to utilize it.
A few days later, Fandral Staghelm received news that Cenarius, the vanguard general of the Burning Legion, was challenging the fortress.